On this stunning series of images made by NASA's Dawn mission, the sun's rays reflect off the surface of Ceres, which allowed the spacecraft to look at the tiny planet after it was hidden in its shadow for a month.
This composite image has the maximum resolution to date. The mission took this photo on April 10 at a distance of 21,000 miles (33,000 km).
The dwarf planet, despite its width of 590 miles (950 km), is a complex world with formations that expand our knowledge of dwarf planets. Ceres was formed at the dawn of our Solar System, hence the name of the mission “Dawn”. The spacecraft will get a more detailed view of the ancient surface of Ceres after it has been launched into the orbit of the dwarf planet. Mission Dawn officially starts on April 23.
